Parents' agony at choosing teen daughter's funeral outfit on her 18th birthday

11 November 2023 , 02:42

838     0

Serenity Hawley, of Blacksburg, was just two days away from turning 18 when her ex-boyfriend, Croney Monk, allegedly shot her in the chest (Image: Family Handout)

Parents have described the pain at having to choose their teenage daughter's funeral outfit on her 18th birthday.

Instead of celebrating what should have been a joyous occasion, Serenity Hawley's parents were choosing what she would be buried in after the teenager was found dead in a car along with her ex-boyfriend in a parking garage in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Hawley was found sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle. Her ex-boyfriend - a varsity football player at Blacksburg High School - had allegedly entered the vehicle and shot her before shooting himself. Her family had planned to go to Charlotte with her sister to watch the Virginia Tech women’s basketball game for her birthday.

READ MORE: Devastated brother's message to 'killer' mom accused of 'shooting dead her 2 sons in bed'

Heather Waldron, Serenity mother, said: "I mean, we all expected this to be such a day of joy, not being at the funeral home and being in our church and planning how the service is gonna go. It’s just unreal. Everything is such a blur at this point, but to hear that your child in that manner is deceased, you just can’t even fathom it.

Teen 'kept as slave, starved and beaten' sues adoptive parents and authorities

Serenity's parents described how they were choosing their daughter's funeral outfit when they should have been celebrating her 18th birthday (WSLS)

"Like I said it was almost like an out-of-body experience that I was looking down on what was going on, and it just was unbelievable. It’s so surreal." Waldron said she received a phone call on Tuesday evening informing her Serenity was missing, and soon after, she received news from a detective that her daughter had been found dead - saying it was "like the nightmare you can’t wake up for".

Serenity Hawley’s mother described her as someone who lit up everyone’s world, someone who was full of life - adding how she believes this situation to be a domestic violence incident, adding: "She’s full of life, but that child trusts. She was so trusting that she would have never have thought that this would have happened.", reports WSAZ.

The high school senior had sought a no-contact order from her ex-boyfriend Croney Monk two weeks before her death, alleging he was harassing and blackmailing her. Monk allegedly shot Hawley in the chest before turning the gun on himself on Tuesday, the teenage girl's family told 10 News.

Serenity was found dead in a car along with her ex-boyfriend in a parking garage in Blacksburg, Virginia (WSLS)

Serenity Hawley’s father, John Hawley, described how she was so excited for her birthday football game, adding: "Her sister was driving down, her sister goes to Ohio State. So she was driving down to pick her up and they were going to Charlotte. They had floor tickets. They were so excited. That’s how she was going to spend her birthday,” said John Hawley."

The Montgomery County Public Schools district released a statement saying: "First and foremost in our thoughts are the families and loved ones of the two children who lost their lives. We are deeply saddened by this loss and are trying our best as a community to deal with the devastating impact."

A Gofundme has also been organised by the Hawley family - which has now raised $21,495. The family said they will use some of the money for her funeral arrangements and plan to set up a scholarship in Serenity's memory.

Abigail O'Leary